2002: Saints Come From 20 Points Down to Beat Bears

The Week 3 matchup between the New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears on September 22, 2002 featured two teams that had gotten off to 2-0 starts. The Bears, coming off a 13-3 season in ’01 under Head Coach Dick Jauron, had a conservative offense led by QB Jim Miller, a competent game manager, and RB Anthony Thomas, the NFC’s top offensive rookie in 2001. The defense had been top-ranked in the league and featured a solid line, star MLB Brian Urlacher, and CB R.W. McQuarters and FS Mike Brown in the backfield.

New Orleans, on the other hand, had been 7-9 in 2001 after going to the postseason in 2000. Coached by Jim Haslett, the Saints dealt away RB Ricky Williams, who never quite lived up to the heavy price of an entire slate of draft picks to obtain him in 1999, and RB Deuce McAllister had emerged in his place. The mobile and hard-throwing Aaron Brooks (pictured above) directed the attack at quarterback.

There were 63,216 fans present at Memorial Stadium of the University of Illinois, which was serving as home for the Bears while Soldier Field underwent a complete overhaul. They saw the Bears get the first break of the day when McAllister fumbled at midfield and LB Bryan Knight recovered for Chicago. The Bears drove to the New Orleans 13 yard line in 10 plays and Paul Edinger kicked a 31-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

On the third play of the Saints’ next possession, Brooks was intercepted by CB Reggie Austin, again near midfield. Thomas ran the ball four straight times, including a 24-yard gain to the 15 yard line, and Miller completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to WR Dez White. The score stood at 10-0 after one quarter.

Early in the second quarter, the Bears scored again when a six-play, 56-yard drive ended with Miller throwing to WR Marty Booker for a 22-yard TD. The Saints turned the ball over once again, with Brooks fumbling and Knight recovering for the second time for Chicago. With the ball at the New Orleans 27, the Bears seemed well positioned to deliver a killing blow, but had to settle for another Edinger field goal, this time from 25 yards. Still, Chicago led by 20-0 with just under twelve minutes remaining in the first half.

The New Orleans offense responded by coming alive on a nine-play possession that included six straight pass completions by Brooks. He threw to WR Jerome Pathon for a 16-yard touchdown that finally got the Saints on the board. On the ensuing kickoff, it was Chicago’s turn to hurt itself with a turnover as RB Leon Johnson fumbled and the Saints recovered at the Bears’ eight. Two plays later, Brooks ran for a seven-yard touchdown and the once-imposing margin was down to six points at 20-14.

In the third quarter, New Orleans took the kickoff and methodically drove 65 yards in 12 plays that featured a 24-yard completion from Brooks to Pathon along the way and ended with Brooks tossing a five-yard touchdown pass to WR Joe Horn. John Carney’s extra point was good, and the Saints took the lead at 21-20. The teams traded punts until early in the fourth quarter, when Edinger capped a 70-yard drive with a 25-yard field goal that put the Bears back in front at 23-21.

The teams again traded punts and, with the clock down to 3:21 in the game, the Saints took over at their 27. Brooks completed all four of his passes and ran for 14 yards as New Orleans went 73 yards in 7 plays, ending with WR Donte’ Stallworth pulling in a pass for a 29-yard touchdown, and retook the lead.

Chicago still had over a minute to work with, and Miller passed the team down the field, including completions of 19 yards to Booker and 20 to White. But with a second down at the New Orleans 18, his pass to the goal line was intercepted by safety Sammy Knight to nail down the 29-23 win for the Saints.

The Bears outgained New Orleans (353 yards to 302) and also had more first downs (21 to 18). The Saints even gave up more turnovers with three to Chicago’s two and were penalized ten times.


Aaron Brooks completed 22 of 34 passes for 233 yards with three touchdowns and one interception; he also ran the ball seven times for 28 yards and a TD. Joe Horn caught 6 passes for 42 yards and a score while Jerome Pathon (pictured at left) gained 71 yards on his 5 catches, also including a touchdown. Deuce McAllister was held to 45 yards rushing on 17 carries and grabbed four passes for 42 more.

For the Bears, Jim Miller went to the air 40 times, with 26 completions for 236 yards that included two TDs against one that was picked off. Anthony Thomas ran for 111 yards on 27 attempts. Marty Booker caught 8 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown.

“It's tough when you're down 20-0, especially in the NFL,” Aaron Brooks said. “We were lucky we didn't get blown out. We could have been down 28-0 at the half.”

“We came in at halftime down 20-14 and the guys knew we were going to win the game,” added Coach Haslett.

The Saints lost to Detroit the next week but won three more in a row to peak at 6-1 before going 3-6 the rest of the way. They finished in third place in the NFC South at 9-7 and just missed the postseason. The loss to New Orleans was the first of eight strait for Chicago. The injury-riddled Bears ended up a poor third in the NFC North at 4-12.

Aaron Brooks tied for second in the league in touchdown passes with 27, but also was sacked 36 times, which tied for the fourth most, and was prone to inconsistency. Deuce McAllister led the NFC by rushing for 1388 yards on 325 carries and scored a total of 16 TDs (13 rushing, 3 receiving).

Jim Miller (pictured below) suffered through shoulder and knee injuries and played in just ten games, with Chris Chandler taking over until he, too, was lost - inexperienced Henry Burris finished off the dismal season. Miller ended up passing for 1944 yards with 13 touchdowns and 9 interceptions and was waived afterward, essentially marking the end of his NFL career (he was a backup for three more teams, but never appeared in another regular season game) in which he demonstrated great toughness, if not much savvy. Anthony Thomas slumped badly as the season progressed and then was sidelined by a broken finger after rushing for 721 yards while averaging 3.4 yards per attempt. “The A-Train” bounced back with a 1024-yard campaign in 2003.

1986: O’Brien Outduels Marino as Jets Defeat Dolphins in Overtime Thriller

The September 21, 1986 game between the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins at Giants Stadium in the New Jersey Meadowlands featured two first-round quarterbacks from the highly-touted 1983 draft field. After three seasons, Miami’s Dan Marino had already established himself as one of the top passers in the game. He had put together an astounding season in 1984 as the Dolphins advanced to the AFC Championship, and even after getting a late start due to a training camp holdout in ’85, still threw for 4746 yards and 44 touchdown passes. The Dolphins went 12-4 but lacked a meaningful running attack and didn’t stop the run very well, either. After nearly being upset by the 8-8 Cleveland Browns in the Divisional playoff, they were beaten by the Patriots in the AFC title game. Coming into the contest against the Jets, they were 1-1, having given up 50 points in a loss to the Chargers in the season-opening game but then having comfortably beaten the Colts in Week 2.

Ken O’Brien of the Jets had taken longer to develop, having not played at all during his rookie season in ’83. He took over as the starting quarterback in the last five games of the 1984 season (after getting caught up in a trial pertaining to a brawl at the Studio 54 night club in New York City). Still, he had broken out with a Pro Bowl year in ’85, throwing for 3888 yards and 25 TDs against just 8 interceptions. The Jets, having put together back-to-back 7-9 seasons under Head Coach Joe Walton, improved to 11-5 and were viewed as a team on the rise. An ’86 opening-day win at Buffalo had been followed by a dismal 20-6 loss to the Patriots the next week. Such was the stage set for the matchup with division-rival Miami.

The game started off quietly enough, with the teams trading punts until Jets WR Kurt Sohn returned one 27 yards to give New York excellent starting field position at the Miami 23 yard line. While the offense failed to move the ball, Pat Leahy kicked a 32-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

The Dolphins promptly came alive on their next possession as Marino threw back-to-back completions to WR Mark Duper of 22 and 21 yards. The six-play, 67-yard drive ended with a six-yard scoring pass to WR James Pruitt and Miami held a 7-3 lead after a quarter of play.

As the game moved into the second quarter, O’Brien moved the Jets along with four pass completions and RB Johnny Hector scored on a one-yard touchdown run to put New York back in the lead at 10-7. Two plays into Miami’s ensuing possession, safety Lester Lyles intercepted a Marino pass and returned it to the Dolphins’ 19 yard line. Three snaps later, Hector ran eight yards up the middle and it was a 17-7 game.


Miami came right back with big plays through the air. Marino threw to WR Mark Clayton for a 42-yard gain, went to Clayton again for 13 more, and then to Duper for 21 yards down to the New York one. On a play-action pass, Marino threw to TE Dan Johnson for a TD and, with the successful PAT, a three-point game.

Shortly thereafter, it was Miami’s turn to benefit from a turnover as CB Don McNeal intercepted a pass that was bobbled by Jets WR JoJo Townsell. With a 17-yard return, the Dolphins took over at the New York 13 and, two plays later, Marino found Duper in the corner of the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown and 21-17 lead.

It didn’t take long for the Jets to strike back as O’Brien threw long to a wide-open WR Wesley Walker who went all the way for a 65-yard touchdown. Following a Miami punt, New York got the ball back but had to kick it away with under a minute to go in the first half. However, Pruitt and safety Reyna Thompson collided, the ball hit Thompson, and LB Matt Monger recovered for the Jets at midfield. O’Brien immediately went long for Walker, who gathered it in for a 50-yard touchdown, and the Jets took a 31-21 lead into halftime.

Already, both quarterbacks had thrown for over 200 yards (Marino with 245, O’Brien 203), and things did not slow down in the third quarter. After a three-and-out series by the Jets, Marino connected with Duper for a 46-yard touchdown that cut New York’s margin to 31-28. The Jets turned the ball over on the next possession when O’Brien was sacked by LB Mark Brown, fumbled, and NT George Little recovered for the Dolphins at the New York 47. Six plays later, and after Clayton dropped a long pass at the five yard line, Fuad Reveiz kicked a 44-yard field goal and the score was tied at 31-31.

The Jets again turned the ball over on a fumble two plays into the next possession, and again Miami capitalized six plays after that on a one-yard Marino pass to TE Bruce Hardy that put the Dolphins back in front at 38-31.

Nearing the midpoint of the fourth quarter, the Jets tied the score following an 80-yard drive in 11 plays that featured a pass from O’Brien to WR Al Toon for 36 yards and a one-yard carry by RB Tony Paige on a fourth-and-one play at the Miami eight. RB Dennis Bligen ran for a seven-yard TD and Leahy’s extra point made it 38-38 with 8:32 to go in regulation.

Following a Miami punt, Walker fumbled after catching a short pass from O’Brien and LB Jackie Shipp gave the Dolphins possession at the New York 27. Helped along by an unnecessary roughness penalty, Miami again made the Jets pay when Marino threw to Clayton for a four-yard touchdown. The Dolphins were again in front at 45-38.

With the clock down to under two minutes, Miami got the ball back but was unable to get a clinching first down on a third-and-seven play and had to punt. Starting from their 20 and with only one timeout left, the Jets moved down the field. A pass from O’Brien to TE Mickey Shuler turned into a big gain when the tight end, after gaining seven yards, lateraled to Hector, who went another 21 yards to the Dolphins’ 39. Following the final timeout and two completions to Shuler, O’Brien threw to Walker and, with no time remaining, the wide receiver gathered in the pass at the two yard line and dove into the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown. Leahy’s all-important extra point was good, and with the score tied at 45-45, the contest went into overtime.

The Jets won the toss to start the extra period and, following a 19-yard kickoff return, they took possession at their 22 yard line. O’Brien threw to Toon for back-to-back completions that totaled 25 yards and, following two running plays, he went deep once more to Walker. Walker grabbed the ball at the goal line for a 43-yard touchdown and the Jets came away with a stunning 51-45 win at 2:35 into overtime.

The teams combined for 1066 total yards of offense, with the Jets holding the edge at 581 to 485. The total of 884 yards through the air set a league record. New York also accumulated 32 first downs, to 27 for the Dolphins, but also turned the ball over four times, to three turnovers suffered by Miami.

Ken O’Brien completed 29 of 43 passes for 479 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. While Al Toon had the most catches for the Jets, with 7 for 111 yards, Wesley Walker (pictured below) had the more noteworthy performance with 6 receptions for 194 yards and four TDs – made even more impressive because he had been dealing with a groin injury coming into the game. Johnny Hector led the running game with 82 yards on 22 carries and two scores.



For Miami, Dan Marino went to the air 50 times and had 30 completions for 448 yards and six touchdowns; he was picked off twice. Mark Clayton caught 8 passes for 174 yards and a TD and Mark Duper was right behind with 7 receptions for 154 yards and two scores. RB Tony Nathan was the leading ground-gainer with 36 yards on four carries (the Dolphins had just 50 yards of rushing offense).

“I was down on myself because I fumbled the ball. I thought I lost the game for the team,” said Wesley Walker afterward. “I was just grateful I was given the opportunity to make it up.”

“It's a shame to waste a performance like this by Marino,” said a disappointed Coach Don Shula of the Dolphins. “We let it go down the drain.”

The Jets went on to win their next eight straight games, but then lost the final five (starting with a 45-3 whipping by the Dolphins in Miami) to end up at 10-6, good enough for second place in the AFC East and a wild card playoff spot. They defeated the Chiefs in the first round but lost to Cleveland in overtime in the Divisional playoff game. Miami continued to be plagued by inconsistency and finished in third place in the division with an 8-8 record.

Ken O’Brien went on to throw for 3690 yards and ranked second in the league with 25 touchdowns. As was the case against the Dolphins, Al Toon was the team’s top receiver with 85 catches for 1176 yards and eight TDs and earned consensus first-team All-Pro honors. Wesley Walker had 49 receptions for 1016 yards to average 20.7 yards-per-catch (tied for second best in the NFL with Green Bay’s Walter Stanley) and scored 12 touchdowns.

Dan Marino led the league in pass attempts (623), completions (378), yards (4746), TD passes (44), and percentage of TD passes (7.1). He ranked second in passing (92.5 rating) but also in interceptions (23, tied with Randy Wright of the Packers). Mark Duper caught 67 passes for a career-high 1313 yards and 11 touchdowns and Mark Clayton had 60 receptions for 1150 yards and 10 scores; both joined Marino in being selected to the Pro Bowl.

MVP Profile: Glenn Dobbs, 1946

Tailback/Defensive Back, Brooklyn Dodgers


Age: 26
1st season in pro football
College: Tulsa
Height: 6’4” Weight: 210

Prelude:
A star tailback and punter in college, Dobbs was chosen by the Chicago Cardinals in the first round of the 1943 NFL draft, but went into the military instead. After starring in service football, he joined the Dodgers of the new AAFC in 1946, a club that utilized a single-wing attack.

1946 Season Summary
Appeared in 12 of 14 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing
Attempts – 269 [1]
Completions – 135 [1]
Yards – 1886 [1]
Completion percentage – 50.2 [4]
Yards per attempt – 7.0 [3]
TD passes – 13 [4]
Most TD passes, game – 2 vs. Buffalo 11/10, at Miami 12/13
Interceptions – 15 [1]
Passer rating – 66.0 [4]

Rushing
Attempts – 95
Yards – 208
Yards per attempt – 2.2
TDs – 4

Pass Receiving
Receptions – 1
Yards – -5
TDs - 0

Punting
Punts – 80 [1]
Yards – 3826 [1]
Average – 47.8 [1]
Punts blocked – 2

Interceptions
Interceptions – 2 [20, tied with many]
Return yards – 44 [18]
TDs – 0

Kickoff Returns
Returns – 12 [6, tied with Edgar Jones]
Yards – 214 [12]
Average per return – 17.8
TDs – 0

Punt Returns
Returns – 7 [17, tied with four others]
Yards – 146 [11]
Average per return – 20.9
TDs – 1
Longest return – 78 yards

All-Purpose yards – 563

Scoring
TDs – 6 [9, tied with five others]
Points – 36 [15, tied with six others]

Awards & Honors:
AAFC MVP: League
1st team All-NFL/AAFC: Chicago Herald-American
1st team All-AAFC: League, AP, UPI, NY Daily News

Dodgers went 3-10-1 to finish in a tie for second place in the Eastern Division, although they ranked second in the AAFC in passing offense (2258 yards).

Aftermath:
In a major trade early in the 1947 season, Dobbs was dealt to the Los Angeles Dons. Playing quarterback in the T-formation, his performance suffered, but in ’48 a new head coach, Jimmy Phelan, created a new offense (the Phelan spread) in order to more fully utilize Dobbs’ talents. Dobbs responded with an outstanding season in which he set pro football records for pass attempts (369) and completions (185). He also had his best pro rushing season (539 yards) and again led the league in punting (49.1). Injuries significantly diminished Dobbs’ performance in 1949, and with the demise of the AAFC following that season, he retired from pro football. After an absence of a year, in which he was a sportscaster in Tulsa, Dobbs joined the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Canada, playing three more seasons (and winning MVP honors in the Western league in ’51) before further injuries set in, and serving as a player/coach. Overall, as a pro he passed for 11,072 yards and 96 TDs, rushed for 1280 yards, and had a 45.7 punting average.

--

MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).

[Updated 2/14/14]

1971: Giants Beat Packers in Wild Game of Mishaps and Big Plays

It was a rainy day in Green Bay on September 19, 1971 as the Packers hosted the New York Giants in the season-opening game for both teams. Green Bay was coming off a 6-8 year in ’70, the second of three losing records since winning a third straight championship in 1967, Vince Lombardi’s last year as head coach. Having gone 20-21-1 under Phil Bengtson, Dan Devine was hired away from the University of Missouri to take over the coaching reins. There was talent at running back with HB Donny Anderson and the first draft pick out of Ohio State, FB John Brockington, as well as guard Gale Gillingham, DT Mike McCoy, and LB Fred Carr. There were still some of the great players from the Lombardi era around, but they were getting up in years and included 34-year-old safety Willie Wood, 33-year-old WR Carroll Dale, 34-year-old MLB Ray Nitschke, and most significantly of all, QB Bart Starr, back for his 16th year at age 37 but unavailable for the opening game due to injury.

The Giants, coached by Alex Webster, had gone 9-5 in ’70, their best record since they last appeared in a NFL Championship game in 1963. But while they still had eleventh-year veteran QB Fran Tarkenton, the NFC’s third-ranked passer the previous year, HB Ron Johnson, who had gained 1514 yards from scrimmage (1027 rushing, 487 receiving), was injured. The defense had talent in DE Fred Dryer, CB Willie Williams, and FS Carl “Spider” Lockhart. But there were holes, and losses in all six preseason games did not inspire confidence.

There were 56,263 fans present at Lambeau Field. Zeke Bratkowski, another relic of the Lombardi era who had come out of retirement at age 39, started at quarterback for the Packers. Green Bay scored first in unusual but spectacular fashion when a field goal attempt by New York’s Pete Gogolak fell short and CB Ken Ellis returned it 100 yards for a touchdown, tying the then-NFL record. The score stood at 7-0 after a quarter of play.

The Giants came back on a drive highlighted by a 43-yard pass play from Tarkenton to TE Rich Kotite. A scrambling Tarkenton then threw a six-yard TD pass to Rich Houston (pictured above), who had only recently been converted from defensive back to wide receiver.

The next score was set up by a turnover when New York’s Tom Blanchard punted and the ball hit the heel of Packers safety Al Randolph, who had slipped and fallen on the wet turf. Safety Joe Green recovered for the Giants on what was technically a fumble and Tarkenton connected again with Houston for a 39-yard touchdown on the next play, giving New York the lead at 14-7.

Less than five minutes later, there were two touchdowns scored by the Giants within six seconds of play, both on fumble recoveries. First, with the Packers backed up to their own three yard line, HB Dave Hampton fumbled a handoff in his end zone that New York LB Ralph Heck recovered for a TD. The ensuing kickoff went between Hampton and RB Larry Krause. Hampton handled it but, instead of downing it in the end zone, made an attempt to run and was hit and fumbled, and Green made his second recovery, this time for another New York touchdown.

Hampton partially redeemed himself by returning the next kickoff 44 yards and coming close to breaking it all the way. The Packers then drove 52 yards with Bratkowski throwing to Hampton for a 19-yard touchdown with just a few seconds left in the half. The halftime score was 28-14 in favor of the visitors.

The Giants not only led in the score but in all major statistical departments as well after one half of play. As a result, and despite the scoring drive at the end of the first half, Green Bay’s Coach Devine switched from Bratkowski to rookie QB Scott Hunter in the second half.

The Packers narrowed the margin to 28-17 in the third quarter thanks to a 28-yard field goal by Lou Michaels. However, the Giants came back with an 81-yard pass play from Tarkenton to Houston for another TD. Hampton returned the ensuing kickoff 72 yards for the Packers, and that led to a touchdown as Hunter threw to TE Rich McGeorge on a 21-yard play.


With the score now 35-24, the Packers got the ball and Hunter fumbled at his own 20. New York LB Jim Files recovered and Tarkenton (pictured at left) again made Green Bay pay for turning the ball over as he immediately fired a pass to FB Tucker Frederickson in the end zone. The Giants held a 42-24 lead after three quarters.

In the fourth quarter, the Packers drove 74 yards with Donny Anderson capping the drive with a 19-yard touchdown run in which he broke three tackles. With the Packers behind by 42-31 and just over seven minutes on the clock, SS Doug Hart intercepted a pass along the sideline in front of the Green Bay bench. New York OT Bob Hyland, an ex-Packer, pushed Hart out of bounds and slid into Coach Devine in the resulting pileup. Devine had to be carried off the field with an apparent leg injury and was taken to St. Vincent’s Hospital, where doctors found two major bones broken in his lower left leg. His leg was immediately reset, and upon coming out of the anesthetic, Devine asked, “They didn’t give up, did they?”

The Packers didn’t give up, and in fact the loss of the head coach seemed to fire the team up (Defensive line coach Dave Hanner took over field strategy for the remainder of the game).

Hart’s interception set up the last touchdown by the Packers, an 18-yard pass from Hunter to Carroll Dale that closed the gap to 42-38. With 2:38 left, Hart made another big play when he tackled the Giants’ Blanchard in the end zone after the punter fielded a bad snap that sailed over his head.

It was now a two-point game and Green Bay got the ball back following the safety. The Packers drove from their 46 to the New York 36 yard line, but in the last minute an interception by Files on a pass up the middle that was intended for Dale finally stopped the Packers for good. New York came away from the wildly-contested game with a 42-40 win.

The Packers outgained the Giants (348 yards to 323) and had more first downs (17 to 12). However, they undid themselves by fumbling six times, losing four of them, as well as turning the ball over on the interception on the final drive. New York, by contrast, turned the ball over just once, although it was a pickoff that set up a touchdown – and removed Green Bay’s head coach from the game.

Fran Tarkenton completed 13 of 21 passes for 236 yards with four touchdowns and the one interception. Rich Houston was the receiving star with 6 catches for 151 yards and three TDs. Tucker Frederickson was New York’s leading rusher with 42 yards on 10 carries.

For the Packers, Zeke Bratkowski was successful on 6 of 10 throws for 66 yards and a touchdown in his half of action; Scott Hunter completed 9 of 16 passes for 158 yards that included two TDs against the one interception. Donny Anderson ran for 99 yards on 16 attempts with one TD; John Brockington, in his first game, added 34 yards on 9 attempts and had 3 catches for 9 yards. WR John Spilis caught 3 passes for 70 yards, while the 12th-year veteran Carroll Dale also had 3 receptions, for 66 yards and a score.

“I was the first one to see Hart,” Bob Hyland said afterward about the play that resulted in Dan Devine sustaining a broken leg. “I pushed him (Hart) out of bounds and then slid right into Devine. I feel sick about it.”


Devine returned to the sidelines on crutches and wearing a cast (pictured at right). The Packers won their next two games, but only two more the rest of the year as they finished at the bottom of the NFC Central with a 4-8-2 record (adding fuel to the debate over pro teams hiring coaches directly from the college ranks). While the running game was strong, the lack of a quality quarterback (Bart Starr appeared in just four games in what was his final season) proved detrimental and the defense had too many holes.

John Brockington emerged to lead the NFC with 1105 rushing yards. Donny Anderson rushed for 757 yards and caught 26 passes for 306 more, but clashed with Devine and was traded to the Cardinals in the offseason. Carroll Dale led the club in pass receiving with 31 catches for 598 yards and four TDs. Scott Hunter was the starting quarterback most of the way and suffered plenty of growing pains as he gave up 17 interceptions, as opposed to just 7 touchdown passes.

As for the Giants, they ended up at the bottom of the NFC East with a 4-10 tally. The loss of Ron Johnson, who played in just two games, proved deadly to the offense (Bobby Duhon led the club in rushing with 344 yards) while the defense ranked at the bottom of the conference. Fran Tarkenton completed 58.5 percent of his passes for 2567 yards and 11 TDs, but also was intercepted 21 times. Rich Houston didn’t come close to duplicating his spectacular opening-game numbers and ended up with 24 catches for 426 yards (17.8 avg.), scoring one more TD to give him four for the year.

1949: Scores by Defense Propel Browns Over Yankees

The Cleveland Browns had won three All-America Football Conference championships and were unbeaten in 26 straight games (they were tied twice, including the ’49 season opening game against Buffalo) as they took on the New York Yankees on September 18, 1949. The powerful club added DB Warren Lahr and tackle Darrell Palmer for its fourth season, as well as HB Les Horvath (pictured at right), a former Heisman Trophy winner at Ohio State who had played two years for the NFL Rams. Typically, the Browns had no trouble scoring points with their well-balanced offense, but on this day it would be up to the defense to pull out another win.

The Yankees, now combined with the defunct Brooklyn Dodgers for the AAFC’s fourth season, were coached by Red Strader and were operating out of the T-formation for the first time. Don Panciera was the starting quarterback, and the backfield also featured halfbacks Buddy Young and Sherman Howard and FB Bob Kennedy, although it was missing star running tailback Orban “Spec” Sanders, who had twice led the league in rushing but missed all of ’49 with a knee injury. The line included tackles Arnie Weinmeister and Martin Ruby, guard Joe Signaigo, and center Brad Ecklund, and the defensive backfield had outstanding players in Tom Landry, Otto Schnellbacher, and Harmon Rowe. While the Browns had played two games and gone 1-0-1, New York opened its season just the previous week at Buffalo and was 1-0.

There were 26,312 fans at Municipal Stadium on a rainy day in Cleveland. They saw the visitors score first, on a 25-yard field goal by Harvey Johnson. But still in the first quarter, Horvath picked up a fumble by New York’s Young and ran 84 yards for a touchdown.

The Yankees outplayed the Browns, who were without star FB Marion Motley due to a rib injury, and put heavy pressure on star QB Otto Graham (who no doubt missed Motley’s outstanding blocking as well as his running). But while New York was inside Cleveland’s 20 yard line on six occasions, and three times inside the 10, the Yankees couldn’t put any more points on the board.

After turning the ball over on downs in the third quarter at the one foot line, the Yankees missed an opportunity to score a defensive touchdown of their own when Graham, fading back into his own end zone, threw a pass that hit G Johnny Mastrangelo in the stomach, but he dropped the ball.

Late in the fourth quarter, DB Tommy James intercepted a pass by Panciera and returned it 27 yards for a TD. Lou Saban, kicking in place of Lou Groza, added his second extra point and the Browns survived to win, 14-3.

New York outgained the Browns (311 yards to 125) and led in first downs (15 to 5). Otto Graham completed just 4 of 10 passes for 36 yards and the Cleveland offense never penetrated deeper into New York territory than the 47 yard line.

The Browns went on to win two more games before being beaten convincingly by their arch-rivals, the 49ers. While that briefly put them in second place, they went 5-0-1 the rest of the way to top the AAFC (which went without divisions in its last year, due to the reduction to seven teams) with a 9-1-2 record. Along the way, they handily defeated New York at Yankee Stadium by a 31-0 score. The Yankees finished third at 8-4 and lost in the first round of the playoffs to the second-place 49ers. Cleveland defeated Buffalo in the first round and San Francisco for a fourth league title before moving on to the NFL.

Les Horvath, who was strictly a reserve, retired after the ’49 season to go into dentistry (he had a successful practice for many years in Los Angeles). Tommy James (pictured below), who had started his career in the NFL with Detroit in 1947 before moving over to the Browns in ’48, stayed with Cleveland for another six seasons before finishing up with the Baltimore Colts in 1956. His interception against the Yankees was one of 34 that he accumulated (8 in the AAFC, 25 in the NFL) and his only one that he returned for a touchdown, although he did score on a fumble recovery in 1953.

1961: Vikings Thrash Bears for Franchise’s First Win

The Minnesota Vikings launched their first regular season on September 17, 1961 as they hosted the well-established Chicago Bears at Metropolitan Stadium. The new team was coached by Norm Van Brocklin, who had ended his illustrious career as a quarterback after leading the Philadelphia Eagles to the NFL title in ’60 in the expectation that he would succeed Head Coach Buck Shaw, who also retired. When the Eagles elevated assistant coach Nick Skorich instead, a miffed Van Brocklin accepted the opportunity to coach an expansion team.

As usual with expansion teams, the Vikings approached the inaugural season with a group of unwanted veterans and untested young players. In this instance, the veterans included QB George Shaw, most recently of the Giants; aging all-time great HB Hugh McElhenny of the 49ers; Dave Middleton, a seventh-year end from Detroit; DE Don Joyce of the Colts; and G Gerry Huth, fresh from the Eagles’ championship team. Rookies obtained in the draft were Tulane HB Tommy Mason (first round), LB Rip Hawkins from North Carolina (second round), Georgia QB Fran Tarkenton (third round), and defensive back Ed Sharockman of Pitt (fifth round).

The Bears, under the direction of owner/Head Coach George Halas, were coming off of a subpar 5-6-1 season in 1960. In the offseason, they obtained QB Bill Wade from the Rams and also added TE Mike Ditka, the first round draft pick out of Pittsburgh, to upgrade the passing attack.

There were 32,236 in attendance for the regular season debut of the Vikings. The veteran George Shaw started at quarterback, but didn’t last long as he completed two of three passes for 22 yards and was replaced by the rookie Tarkenton (pictured above). Minnesota scored the only points of the first quarter as Mike Mercer booted a 12-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

Tarkenton connected with veteran split end Bob Schnelker, once a star with the Giants, for his first touchdown pass (of an eventual career total of 342) from 14 yards out. The Bears responded when FB Rick Casares went up the middle for a three-yard touchdown. The extra point attempt was missed and the score stood at 10-6 in favor of Minnesota at halftime.

The Vikings had difficulty capitalizing on scoring opportunities in the first half, but came alive in the third quarter. In particular, Tarkenton completed 8 of 11 passes during that period. TE Jerry Reichow made two outstanding catches, one for a 29-yard TD and another for 48 yards between defenders CB J.C. Caroline and SS Richie Petitbon that set up a score by McElhenny, who caught the rookie quarterback’s third touchdown pass of the day from two yards out.

To start the fourth quarter, the young scrambler ran two yards around right end for a touchdown. Dave Middleton scored the last Minnesota touchdown on a two-yard throw from Tarkenton, after which the attempted PAT was missed. With the result a foregone conclusion, the Bears finally rounded out the scoring as Wade tossed a 10-yard TD pass to Galimore. The final tally was a shocking 37-13 decision in favor of the Vikings.


While the Bears were guilty of some sloppy play, Minnesota’s defense played very well and Rip Hawkins (pictured at left), DT Jim Prestel, and DE Jim Marshall were the most noteworthy performers. Hawkins in particular distinguished himself as the leader of the unit.

The Vikings gained a total of 336 yards, to 270 for Chicago, although the Bears had the edge in first downs (20 to 17). However, the Bears turned the ball over five times while the newcomers suffered just one turnover.

Fran Tarkenton was the star of the game on offense, completing 17 of 23 passes for 250 yards with four touchdowns and none intercepted. Hugh McElhenny (pictured below), who rushed for 25 yards on 6 carries, had the most pass receptions for the Vikings with 6, for 54 yards and a TD. Jerry Reichow gained 103 yards on his three catches. FB Mel Triplett was the club’s leading rusher with a yard more than McElhenny, gaining 26 on 8 attempts.


For the Bears, Bill Wade was good on 6 of 10 passes for 109 yards and a TD while having two picked off; QB Ed Brown threw 7 passes and completed just two for 37 yards with two interceptions. Willie Galimore ran the ball 12 times for 47 yards. Flanker Johnny Morris caught 4 passes for 92 yards. Mike Ditka, in his first regular season game, contributed one reception for 18 yards.

Both head coaches, Norm Van Brocklin and George Halas, called Tarkenton’s performance the greatest debut ever by a rookie quarterback.

“Tarkenton is going to be a great quarterback,” Coach Van Brocklin enthused after the game. “The team moves for him. His greatest asset is the way he moves around looking for a target. That draws the defense in and then he throws to an open receiver.”

While friction would eventually develop between Van Brocklin and Tarkenton, at least during the 1961 season there was relative harmony and the rookie completed 56.1 percent of his 280 passes for 1997 yards with 18 touchdowns and 17 interceptions; his scrambling ability kept him from taking a beating behind a mediocre offensive line and he ran for 308 yards on 56 carries that included five TDs.

The opening win by the Vikings was followed by seven straight defeats and they ended up at the bottom of the Western Conference with a 3-11 tally. Chicago recovered from the first-week shellacking to go 8-6 and finish in a tie for third place in the conference with the Baltimore Colts.

Hugh McElhenny had one last Pro Bowl season, leading the Vikings with 570 yards rushing, catching 37 passes for 283 more, and returning a punt for a touchdown. For Mike Ditka, the season resulted in a first Pro Bowl selection as he had an outstanding rookie year with 56 receptions for 1076 yards (19.2 avg.) and 12 TDs.

1984: Eason Rallies Patriots from 23-0 Deficit to Beat Seahawks

The New England Patriots were 1-1 and had lost badly in the season’s second week as they hosted the 2-0 Seattle Seahawks on September 16, 1984 at Sullivan Stadium. After two years under Head Coach Ron Meyer, the Patriots were coming off an 8-8 record in ’83 and appeared to be on the upswing. The team had a solid veteran quarterback in Steve Grogan while the 1983 first round draft pick, Tony Eason from Illinois (pictured at right), was waiting in the wings. RB Tony Collins, who ran for 1049 yards in ’83, was joined by Craig James, a talented two-year veteran of the USFL. WR Stanley Morgan’s production had been eroding, but he was joined by the 1984 first draft pick, WR Irving Fryar from Nebraska. The defense included Andre Tippett, the pass rushing star of a fine linebacking corps, CB Raymond Clayborn and SS Roland James in the backfield, and a decent line.

Seattle, coached by Chuck Knox, had reached the postseason for the first time in franchise history in ’83. The offense was led by QB Dave Krieg, who had beaten out veteran Jim Zorn at midseason, and steady WR Steve Largent. However, they had lost star RB Curt Warner to a season-ending injury in the opening game. But they had a fine defense that included SS Ken Easley, CB Dave Brown, ends Jacob Green and Jeff Bryant, and NT Joe Nash.

There were 43,140 fans attending on a sunny and clear day in Foxboro. The Seahawks got the ball first and went three-and-out, and the resulting punt was returned 55 yards by Fryar to the Seattle 10 yard line. However, on New England’s first play, Grogan fumbled while being sacked and Bryant recovered for the Seahawks at the 21. Seattle drove 54 yards in 11 plays that resulted in a 42-yard Norm Johnson field goal for the first points of the game.

Following a three-and-out series by the Patriots, the Seahawks took just five plays to put more points on the board. In a third-and-six situation, Krieg completed a pass to WR Paul Johns for 23 yards to the New England 43, and two snaps later he went to WR Daryl Turner for a 41-yard touchdown. While Johnson’s extra point attempt was missed, Seattle held a 9-0 lead.

In the second quarter, Johns returned a punt 47 yards for another touchdown for the Seahawks and, two plays after the Patriots got the ball back, Grogan was intercepted by Easley, who returned it 25 yards for a TD. With the game barely six minutes into the second period, Seattle held a 23-0 lead. New England’s offense had been ineffective, with Grogan throwing three incomplete passes and an interception.

Tony Eason was at quarterback when the Patriots got the ball back, but there was no immediate change – he threw two incompletions and was sacked on his first series. The teams continued to trade punts until New England took possession at the Seattle 44 with two minutes to play in the half. The young quarterback finally completed his first pass, for 12 yards to TE Derrick Ramsey, and seven plays later, Eason took off on a 25-yard touchdown run and the halftime score was 23-7.

It had been an ugly first half for the Patriots, who gained just 70 yards and had three first downs to 168 yards and nine first downs for Seattle. But the late momentum in the second quarter seemed to carry over into the second half. On its first possession, New England went 80 yards in seven plays, capped by Eason’s two-yard touchdown pass to Ramsey.

It was now Seattle’s offense that couldn’t move, and the Patriots began to win the battle for field position. Midway through the third quarter, following a punt that started them off at the Seahawks’ 49, the Patriots drove to another score. Tony Collins started the seven-play drive off with a 21-yard run around end and, following an Eason pass to WR Stephen Starring for a 13-yard gain down to the one, RB Mosi Tatupu went up the middle for a TD and, with the successful extra point, it was now a two-point game at 23-21.

The teams again traded punts but, with the third quarter running down, Seattle moved the ball to the New England 31. However, on the last play of the period, Krieg was sacked by Tippett for a 15-yard loss and the Seahawks were forced to punt to start the final quarter. The Patriots largely kept the ball on the ground during the resulting 15-play, 65-yard drive that resulted in a 32-yard Tony Franklin field goal and a 24-23 lead.

Big plays by the defense then allowed the Patriots to take control of the game. On the first play of Seattle’s ensuing possession, LB Steve Nelson sacked Krieg, forcing a fumble that was recovered by NT Lester Williams. Two plays later, Tatupu took off around right end for a 10-yard touchdown, and New England’s lead was extended to 31-23.

Krieg went to the air when Seattle got the ball back, DB Dave Dombroski intercepted a pass near midfield, and the Patriots had possession again at the Seahawks’ 44. The breaks definitely were going New England’s way when, on the first play, Collins fumbled after picking up five yards but teammate Starring picked up the loose ball and advanced to the 20. Three plays later, Eason completed a 15-yard pass to Fryar in the end zone with just under two minutes left to play. It provided the final margin as the Patriots came away with a remarkable 38-23 win.

New England outgained the Seahawks (291 yards to 252) and had more first downs (22 to 16). Seattle was clearly missing Curt Warner at running back, gaining just 37 yards on 28 rushing plays. The Seahawks also turned the ball over three times, to two suffered by the Patriots.


Tony Eason completed 12 of 22 passes for 126 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Tony Collins (pictured at left) ran for 107 yards on 20 carries while Stephen Starring caught 4 passes for 46 yards.

For Seattle, Dave Krieg was successful on 17 of 35 passes for 265 yards with a TD but two interceptions. Paul Johns had 8 pass receptions for 105 yards. But FB David Hughes led what there was of a running attack with 18 yards on 8 attempts while 34-year-old RB Franco Harris, well past his prime and in his final season, contributed 13 yards on 10 carries.

New England lost the next week to Washington but then won three straight games. However, when Coach Meyer tried to fire defensive coordinator Rod Rust, he himself was sent packing and was replaced by all-time great receiver and former assistant coach Raymond Berry. The team ended up with a 9-7 record, good enough for second place in the AFC East but below preseason expectations.

Seattle recovered to go 12-4, placing second in the AFC West but securing a wild card playoff spot; the Seahawks beat the Los Angeles Raiders in the first round but lost to the Dolphins in the Divisional playoff.

Tony Eason continued as the starting quarterback the rest of the way and completed 60.1 percent of his passes for 3228 yards with 23 touchdowns against just 8 interceptions to rank third in the NFL (93.4 rating). However, Tony Collins lost his starting job to Craig James and ended up with barely more than half of his ’83 output (550 yards). Irving Fryar had injury problems and distinguished himself more as a punt returner than a pass receiver, but Stephen Starring emerged to catch 46 passes for 657 yards and Derrick Ramsey set a club record with 66 receptions, for 792 yards and seven touchdowns.